The types of methods and the steps employed for processing cocoa beans into their respective food products have a significant influence on the various qualities of the resulting cocoa product(s) such as with respect to flavor, intensity, or anti-oxidant or vitamin content and even yield. For this reason, the method employed for processing cocoa beans into cocoa products (such as food stuffs) can be critically important to the commercial viability or success or acceptance of such products (in the marketplace, or in use for enhancement of other products).
A typical cocoa bean processing procedure begins with the harvest of the beans followed by the fermenting and drying of the cocoa beans. Afterwards, the beans are typically cleaned and roasted. Once prepared for further processing, the cocoa beans, in conventional or prior art methods, are subjected to processing techniques such as those described in Patent Publication No. PCT/JP2002/012064 (hereinafter “the '064 method” or “the '064 publication”).
Although believed to reflect at least one convention in cocoa bean processing techniques, the processing methods employed in the '064 publication have one or more drawbacks or deficiencies and/or otherwise do not fulfill all of the desirable needs in the subject art. For example, the '064 method results in a destruction of cellular compartments of the raw cocoa materials due to high mechanical loads or shear stresses and/or high heat employed which aids in the extraction of cocoa fats. Specifically, using the '064 method, frictional heat generated by the mechanical extraction techniques liquefies the cocoa fat and forms a chocolate liqueur. Using this technique, however, results in emulsification of oil-fat fractions which, in turn, complicates later desirable phase separation processes and/or steps by which important or desirable cocoa products can otherwise be obtained. In particular, separation of the oil-fat phase becomes difficult or even impossible after emulsification without the use of undesirable solvents such as hexanol (i.e., water is generally useless as a solvent after emulsification). Furthermore, obtaining or retaining desirable flavors and/or cocoa products such as aromatics, anti-oxidants, and/or vitamins becomes difficult or is otherwise inefficient using the '064 method.
In view of the above enumerated drawbacks and/or desires for improvements in the art, it is a purpose of the herein described invention to address one or more of such drawbacks and/or desires as well as, or in the alternative, other needs which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the present disclosure.